I'm here
by delenaforeverandalways24
Summary: When Elena finds out Damon is being tortured by Rebekah, she goes to save him with help from Bonnie and Alaric.   What I think should happen between Damon and Elena in 3X18!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I just got this idea from the preview of the next TVD episode! Did you see in the Canadian preview that Damon and Elena are going to KISS! **squeals** Anyway, please please please review! Thanks :) **

Elena stared up at her ceiling. She hadn't been able to sleep in the past few days, because she had no idea where Damon was. He hadn't responded to any of her texts, and she was starting to get worried. She turned her head and read the clock. 3:45 a.m. She got out of her warm bed and groaned as the coldness of the night air hit her. She walked over to her window, shut it, and then headed downstairs. She pulled out her phone and called Bonnie.

"Elena, what do you want? I was sleeping!" Bonnie moaned, clearly not in the mood to talk about Damon.

"Um, I haven't heard from Damon in three days, and it's starting to worry me. Could I come to your house and do the locator spell with you to find him?"

"Uhg, Elena!" Bonnie complained. "Can we PLEASE do this later?"

"Please Bonnie! I can't go to sleep, and I need to find him!" Elena paused and held her breath, praying Bonnie would give in to her requests. She heard Bonnie sigh in defeat.

"Fine, but this is _only_ for you, okay? Not him." Elena thanked her, and then got her keys to go. As she drove in the night, she couldn't help but realize the moon was almost full. Her heart quickened at the thought of Damon getting bit again. She shook the thought away as she drove into Bonnie's driveway, got out, and softly knocked on the door. Bonnie opened the door after a few seconds, and stepped away from the doorway so Elena could walk in. Bonnie led Elena into her room, and motioned Elena to sit down next to her on her bed.

"Do you have anything of Damon's with you? I need it in order to find him," Bonnie asked. Elena pondered on that for a couple of seconds, before she took out her purse and pulled out a picture Damon had taken of her and him. She looked at it for a moment, smiling at the memory, before handing the picture to Bonnie. Bonnie's eyebrows shot up suspiciously at the picture, and Elena just blushed and looked down. Bonnie's eyes squeezed shut, focusing on Damon. After a minute or two, she gasped and her eyes widened in terror.

"Bonnie! What's wrong?"Elena exclaimed.

"Damon has been taken somewhere, Elena. Against his will. He is-" she paused concentrating on the location she was seeing. "He's in a mansion somewhere in town. Someone is- a vampire is torturing him, Elena." Elena gasped in horror, and so many thoughts and questions spilled into her head, she couldn't think strait. She took two deep breaths, and then started to think. There was only one mansion in Mystic Falls, and she knew exactly where it was. She thanked Bonnie, grabbed the picture of her and Damon, and ran to the door. "Elena!"Bonnie yelled. "You can't save him on your own! Let me come with you."Elena looked at her friend and gave her a warm smile.

"Thank you, Bonnie. I owe you one!" The two girls ran to the car and sped into the night, driving to the mansion. Elena thought for a second, and then made a quick U-turn, and drove towards her house.

"Where are you driving to, Elena?"Bonnie asked.

"I'm going to get Ric. He'll be able to help us fight off whoever has Damon." Elena barged into her own home, and ran to the couch, where Alaric was sleeping. She shook him awake, and he groggily shook her hand away, falling back to sleep again. "Ric!"Elena exclaimed. Her voice was coated with fear, and he could hear it. He instantly woke up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. Elena explained everything as Alaric got ready, grabbing multiple vervain weapons. They got into the car, and headed towards the mansion. "Here's the plan," Alaric said. "I'm going to go into the mansion from the front door, Bonnie, you only go in after me and Elena, stay outside." Then, I wi-"

"Wait, _what?_" Elena interrupted. "I am _not _waiting outside. Since we know it is a vampire, why don't we distract him or her with my blood while you guys save Damon?"

"Um, _that_ has got to be the worst plan I have ever heard," Alaric stated boldly.

Bonnie was the next to think of a plan. "I think that I should go in first. Then, once I figure out where Damon is, we will all go in at once. I will attack the vampire with a spell, Ric can stake the vampire, and Elena can get Damon and help him to the car." Bonnie sighed and sat back in her seat, obviously pleased with her plan.

"That's actually a good idea, Bonnie," said Alaric, his voice surprised. Elena nodded in agreement. They all got out of the car, and Alaric gave each of them a stake, which was covered in vervain. They approached the front door, which was cracked open. Bonnie pushed the door open and listened inside of the building. They all jumped in unison at the sound of Damon screaming, his voice smothered in agony. Elena instantly started running towards the sound, not caring about the plan. She had to save him. Alaric grabbed Elena's wrist, and pulled her back. She struggled with him at first, but quickly gave in and continued walking slowly to the sound of Damon's yells. They yells were getting closer and closer, when finally, they came to the heavy door that separated them from the torturer and Damon. They paused for a second, and listened. Damon was completely silent now. "_Wait, what is that sound?" _Elena thought to herself. Her eyes widened in horror when she recognized the sound. The sound that represented grief, sorrow, and pain. Damon Salvatore was crying. No, not just any cry, but a sob. The idea of him crying was so perplexing, and she instantly found herself shaking with anger. Who was doing this to him, and _why?_

Alaric barged into the room, and Elena gasped in shock. There was nothing in the room, except for Damon, who was suspended from the ceiling by chains, and Rebekah. Elena fumed at the idea of Rebekah hurting Damon, and fumed even for when Rebekah attacked Bonnie, slamming her into the wall and knocking her out cold.

"Bonnie!" Elena screamed. Thank goodness, Rebekah was distracted from Bonnie, and didn't see Alaric coming up from behind. Her staked her, and injected something into her, causing her to topple over and lie on the floor. Alaric ran to Bonnie, and Elena looked up at Damon, his eyes alarmed with panic.

"Elena, Bonnie's hurt pretty badly. I need to get her and to the car. I'm going to get Rebekah to lock her up, and you get Damon, okay?" Elena nodded to Alaric, who was already out the door; Rebekah slung over one shoulder, Bonnie, on the other.

Elena looked at Damon, from head to toe. His feet were bare, but no cuts on them. His legs weren't too bad, either. However, his stomach had blood dripping from it, knives sticking out. Elena swallowed down to taste of nausea, and brought her eyes to his face. She could barely even tell it was him. There was blood covering almost every place on his face. She could see his dried tears on his checks, and his blue eyes were wide with fear. She looked over and saw there was a lever she could pull to bring Damon down. She tugged it down, and he fell to the ground. He didn't move at all once he was on the ground. She ran over to him, and pulled out the knifes stuck into his stomach. He screamed in anguish, and rolled up so he was in the fetal position. She wrapped her small arms around his torso, and helped him up so he was leaning on her.

"Elena," Damon's voice broke, raspy from yelling so much. "I can't do this, I have to lie down. I have to-" he stopped abruptly and bent over in pain, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Damon? What's wrong?"

"My head hurts so ba-" he bellowed again, this time in such an agonized tone, tears filled up Elena's eyes.

"Damon, we have to get you home, okay? Let's just get to the car, and then you don't have to walk any more, okay?" He nodded his head weakly, and she and he stumbled to her car. After what seemed like hours, she opened the passenger door, and helped Damon in. Immediately, he crumpled into his seat and curled up in pain.

As she drove, she looked over at Damon. His eyes were closed, however his eyebrows were still furrowed, as if he was having a bad dream. She took her right hand off of the wheel, and reached over and placed her hand on the side of his face. Immediately, he took her hand and pulled it onto his chest, covering it with his own hands.

Damon looked up at her and whispered so softly she could hardly hear, "Elena, can I tell you about what happened tomorrow? I can't… I mean I'm too-" he sighed in exhaustion, and gave up on what he was trying to say.

"Of course Damon," she said softly. "Tell me tomorrow, I'll be right here with you." Damon nodded and smiled weakly before closing his eyes.

**I hope you liked it! I might have a couple more chapters, but it really just depends on how many reviews this gets! 3 Delena forever! 3 **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It means a lot! :) Oh, and another thing I'm looking forward to next episode- Damon and Stefan bonding like they actually are brothers! I no joke almost cried when Damon and Stefan had their talk last episode! Anyway, please continue reviewing! :) **

Elena pulled into the boarding house driveway at 6:50 a.m. She yawned as she turned off her car, and walked over to the passenger side. Damon was completely asleep, and she had no idea how she was going to move him. She sighed, realizing he was going to have to wake him up, and brushed her thumb against his bruised cheek. He slowly opened his eyes, which were still filled with pain.

"Hey," Elena said softly. "We're here. Could you walk just a little bit so we could get inside?" His eyebrows pushed together at the thought, but he nodded gently and tried to get up, groaning in pain while doing so. Elena put her arms around him in the way she had before, and he stepped out of the car. He leaned on her heavily, almost so much that she fell over, but they managed to get inside the house. She turned on the light, and looked upstairs where Damon's room was. No way could they go up those stairs, so she led him to the couch. He winced in pain as he lie down, clutching his hands to his stomach.

Elena ran down the stairs to get a bag of blood, and ran back upstairs to Damon. She sat on the ground so she was level with him, and opened the blood bag and put it to his lips. At first he drank it weakly, but the blood gave him a little more energy, and he drank faster, until the bag was empty. She could see the cuts on his face begin to heal, but the stomach wounds did not. She began to head towards the other couch, when she heard him whisper quietly.

"Elena, stay with me, please." She looked over at him, and she couldn't stand how weak and defenseless he looked. She walked over to the lights and turned them off. She quietly walked to him, and he scooted up so he was at the edge of the couch. She grabbed a comforter which was draped over the couch, and carefully climbed over Damon, and sank down behind him. She pulled the blanket over both of them, causing him to shiver in his sleep. She pulled Damon closer to her so her back was pressed up against the couch, and tucked her arms under his arms. He hugged her hands to his chest, resting the side of his head on her shoulder. They both lie there, together, holding each other close. His breathing slowed after a few minutes, and she knew he was asleep. Elena took a deep breath, and realized that for the first time in days, she knew exactly where Damon was; right in her arms. She fell asleep within seconds.

Damon opened his eyes, irritated with the light that was pouring into the room, disturbing his sleep. He looked around, confused of where he was. And then it hit him. He instantly lay back down. His body felt as though it was on fire. He writhed in pain for a minute, before realizing he was not alone. Soft hands were pressed against his stomach holding him close her. He looked over and saw Elena, sound asleep, her right cheek pressed up against his back. Damon's eyes scrutinized her face, and saw an emotion flicker across her face. She was scared. He turned his body towards her, even though it hurt more than anything, and stroked her cheek.

All of a sudden, the memory of the past night hit him. He remembered Rebekah, torturing him. She had stabbed him, bit him…truly tortured him. Then he remembered Elena saving him. No, not just Elena, but Ric and Bonnie also. They had saved him. He pulled Elena into a hug. "_Gosh, I love her so much,"_ he thought to himself. She stirred in her sleep, and slowly opened her eyes. They widened immediately to see Damon was awake.

"Damon!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding relieved. "How do you feel? Are the cuts still on your stomach? How's your head?" She put her hand on his head, almost as if she was feeling for a fever.

"I feel just about as good as a vampire who just got tortured could feel!" He laughed, but the motion of laughing caused him to suddenly squeeze his eyes shut. He curled up in a ball against Elena, yelling out in pain. Elena's eyes looked frantically over him, trying to think of any way to make him stop hurting. She was scared for him, and she didn't know what to do. So she just held him against her, half sitting, half lying down against the arm of the couch. After a couple minutes of hearing Damon's heartbreaking bellows, he finally quieted down, trying to catch his breath. He turned towards her, and she saw that he was sweating. He still had blood on his face, arms, and stomach.

"I'll be right back, okay?"She asked. He nodded. She stepped over him onto the floor, and walked to the kitchen. She searched for a few minutes before finding a bucket and filling it up with soapy water. She grabbed a rag and headed towards Damon. She peeled the comforter off of him, and dipped the rag into the water.

"Can you tell me about what happened last night?" Elena asked softly. She placed the rag on Damon's stomach, and he squirmed in pain. She carefully wiped a section of blood away, and she gasped at the size of one of the gashes on his stomach. He didn't say anything for a moment, almost as if he he was scared to tell her. He sighed deeply.

"I was at the Grill, drinking. I was drunk, but not drunk enough to go home with Rebekah," he smiled weakly and faked a shutter. "Anyway, I went to my car, and she somehow managed to sneak up and injected some kind of vervain into me. She took me to the mansion that you saved me from, and hung me up with those chains. When I first woke up, I was already in pain. The vervain was inside of me and it felt like I was being burned." He paused and winced as the rag wiped away the last of the blood on his stomach. Elena went on to cleaning his neck, which had multiple bite marks on it.

"At first, she tortured me physically. She would stab me with knifes, stakes, or anything that had a sharp edge." His jaw clenched at the memory. "But then, she started to torture me mentally." He took a shaky breathy, and she was shocked to see his eyes shiny from un-shed tears. Elena placed a hand against his face, and he put his hand on top of hers. "Do you know how vampires are able to get inside of people's dreams and change them to whatever they want?"

Elena took a shallow breath. "Yes," she said fearfully.

"She did that to me, but I wasn't asleep. It was more like a hallucination. I had no idea what was real or what wasn't. She made me hallucinate-" he took another breath, and his hand on her started to tremble. "She made me think that you were dead, Elena. She made me hallucinate you being attacked by a human. Just a human. And I was just watching, standing right there with you, and I couldn't move. I was screaming and yelling and trying with _all _of my _might_ to save you, and I…" he looked down as if he was ashamed of himself. When he looked back up, she saw a tear fall down his cheek. She held his hand so tight, as if it would seize his pain. "I didn't. I didn't save you. You died, right there. Right in front of me. I couldn't do anything but just fall down and cry." He looked straight into Elena's eyes, and then spoke so quietly, she could barely hear him. "I thought it was real, Elena. It felt _so _real" And with that he laid his head down on Elena's shoulder, and hugged her as tight as he could without yelling out in pain.

"So when I heard you crying right before we came into the room, was that why?" Elena asked softly, tears falling down her cheeks as well.

"Yes. I was still having the hallucination when you, Ric, and Bonnie came in. It stopped the second Ric stabbed her, since she was no longer conscious." He looked at Elena, his eyes filled with passion. "I'm just so glad it wasn't real. I'm… I'm so sorry I didn't save you."

Elena pulled his face to hers, so that they were just inches apart. "Damon," she said. "You had no control over it. Rebekah was doing it, not you. I'm okay, okay? I'm fine." He nodded his head and Elena suddenly had an alarming urge to kiss him. Damon felt the exact same feeling wash over him, and he started to lean forward. Their lips were so close to touching when the door slammed open, causing Elena to bounce away from Damon, and look guiltily at the door. The guilt on her face quickly wiped away when Rebekah walked into the room, holding Alaric at her side. She had a knife pointed onto his neck, and she could see Alaric's face was bruised from her already.

"Let's do a little exchange, shall we?" she asked smoothly, her voice full of arrogance. "I get Damon, or I kill Alaric. Your choice."

**How'd you like it? Oh and in case anyone was wondering, Alaric is not going crazy in this fan fiction, and he has done nothing bad to anyone. ALSO, he doesn't have his ring on, so Rebekah is able to kill him! Thanks again for those who reviewed and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! Delena forever **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! First of all I would like to thank you sooooo much for reviewing! It truly means so much to me, and definitely motivates me to update soon! I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to write this chapter when I finished chapter 2, but I'm pretty sure I know what direction I'm heading towards. **

**On a second note….OMG…the TVD episode…I thought his hallucination was real! Ian and Nina acted that scene out SO WELL! If only it had been real… Such an amazing episode, though. And next episode… Delena road trip…Damon and Elena admitting their feelings for each other…and Delena sharing a bed… *HYPERVENTALATES!* SOOOO EXCITED! ALSO, I sooo hope there will be some Caroline/Klaus action! They are sooo cute! Sorry for my rambling…hahaha!**

**I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Please continue reviewing!**

"Let's do a little exchange, shall we?" she asked smoothly, her voice full of arrogance. "I get Damon, or I kill Alaric. Your choice."

Elena stepped in front of Damon, her hands balled up into fists. She couldn't choose between them. She loved them both, and couldn't live without either one of them. She looked back at Damon, who was trying to get up from the coach, wincing as he did so.

"How about you take the knife away from Ric, and we talk about this," Damon said, his voice murderously low. Damon's hands resembled mine, balled up, ready to fight. Unfortunately, similar to me, I would never be able to fight off Rebekah. Damon was too hurt to even walk, let alone fight an original vampire.

"Alright, we can talk. But the knife stays right-" she paused, poking the tip of the knife of his neck. "Here"

"Don't you dare hurt him. All he was doing was helping Damon. Let him go." Elena was surprised at how strong her voice sounded.

"Well, Miss Elena, since you are in a heroic mood right now, why don't you go and converse with Damon, and discuss how you are going to get yourselves out of this pickle. Okay? You have a day. Say your goodbyes before you show up at the mansion tomorrow at 9 p.m. If you are not there at 9, then I will kill Alaric. Got it? It's your choice, Elena. Damon or Alaric? Choose wisely." She winked as she turned away, pulling Alaric along side with her towards the door.

"Don't do it, Damon! Don't give yourself up! Let _me _die!"Alaric yelled. The door slammed shut, and Elena ran to the door, locked it, and ran back to Damon.

"What are we going to do, Damon?" she asked frantically. "We have to think of a plan to get Ric without putting you in danger. Maybe, we could-"

"Elena, I can't fight off Rebekah. If we tried to trick her, we would just put more people in danger than necessary. I will give myself to her, and you will get Alaric back. Okay? End of story." He sighed, and slowly sat back into the couch.

Elena stared at him incredulously. "WH-what are you saying? You just want to _give up_?" Damon smiled up at her, almost as if she were a young child that didn't understand anything yet. It infuriated her.

"No, Elena, I'm not giving up. I'm doing what's right. You _need_ Alaric. You need someone to guide you through life, someone you can always talk to. I can't give that to you."

Elena stood up, her eyes wide with fury and pain. "Do you really believe that? That I can't talk to you about anything? Because I sure thought I could, up until this moment. I need you both _just_ as equally, and it hurts me to think you don't know that."

"You're being stupid, Elena. You _will _get over losing me. Maybe not at first, but you will. Why are you acting like this?" Elena's eyes filled up with tears. Why didn't he understand how important he was to her?

"_Why _am I acting like this? I CAN'T STAND LOSING _ANYONE _ELSE IN MY LIFE, DAMON! Especially you! Why don't you get that?" Her voice was rising into a yell, and she could feel hot tears running down her cheeks. "Stop trying to pretend like people don't care about you. Stop trying to push people away. Because if you disappeared, people would miss you, because they care about you, Damon. People love you! I love you."

And with that, she fumbled up the stairs, blinded by tears, trying to hold in her sobs. She ran inside the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Her held in sobs exploded out of her, and she curled up in a ball and rested her head on the bathtub. She _couldn't _lose anyone else. She had lost almost everyone she cared about. She was _not _going to let someone take Damon or Alaric away from her. She cried there for what felt like hours, until a numb sensation took over her body. She closed her eyes and hoped to dream a happy dream, to take away the pain. However, she didn't dream at all. She was completely aware of everything that had happened in the past 24 hours, and the pain of despair took over her senses.

After an hour of thinking of a plan to somehow not involve Elena in the saving of Alaric, he stood up. He had a plan in motion in his head. He heard as Elena's cries died down into small whimpers, and he slowly went into the basement and grabbed three blood bags, drinking them as he went upstairs. He became stronger and stronger with each step, and stopped at a trashcan to throw away the empty bags before striding towards the bathroom. He knocked very quietly on the door. Nothing. He pushed the door open slowly, to find Elena asleep, leaning against the bathtub. She looked so small and frail; the skin around her eyes was red and puffy from crying.

Leaning down, he picked her up into his arms, and her head leaned against his chest. Kissing her hair as he walked to his room, he wondered how he was going to say goodbye without her knowing it was a goodbye. He held her tighter to his chest as the realization of his plan started to kick in. She would blame herself. But she had Alaric. He would take good care of her, keep her out of danger. He set her down on his bed, before slipping into sweatpants. He slid her shoes off and took off her sweater, leaving her in jeans and a tank top. He turned off the lights before tucking her into his bed. He ambled to his desk, putting the desk light on, and got out a piece of paper. He wasn't sure how he could put all of his emotions on a single piece of paper, but he was going to try. He grabbed a pen, and started writing.

_Dear Elena,_

_I am so sorry it has come down to this. It is not fair that you have been through so much pain, so much loss. But Elena, I know you are strong. I know you are strong enough to take this. You will hurt at first, but I don't want you to stay like that for long. Okay? Don't remember these last sad moments, but remember the happy, sarcastic, fun times before then. _

_What I love about you: I love your smile, and the sense of humor that goes along with it. I love your eyes. The way they light up when you think of a comeback to say to my sarcastic comments. Or the glint up fire they get when you don't get something your way. As obnoxious as it can be, I love your stubbornness. You know what you want, and you hold your ground. I love the way your heartbeat sounds. I love the fact that you still have your teddy bear. I love how caring and accepting you are. You took me for who I was, and who I am. You are the first person in my entire life I have ever been able to trust. That's saying something, considering how old I am. _

_Elena, I love you. It pains me so much to write this. Not because I don't think you can handle it, but because I'm afraid this will hold you back. I don't want you to be sad, Elena. So be happy for me. Okay? I am sorry for everything I have done to hurt you. I'm sorry for all of the times I've made you cry._

_Do NOT do anything stupid after you get this, okay? By the time you wake up, Alaric should be home. Don't try and save me, because I will not be able to be saved. Don't even THINK about hurting yourself, Elena. Please. That would be the one thing that would truly hurt me. _

_I'm going to have to end this note, but I want you to remember something. Never lose that stubbornness about yourself, okay? Always stand up for yourself, no matter what. I love you Elena. Never forget that. Love,_

_Damon_

Damon looked up from the paper. His eyes were blurred from tears, and he slowly clicked off the desk lamp. He grabbed the note, and headed towards Elena, to look at her one last time. The unshed tears that were in his eyes were rolling down his cheeks now. He sniffed, and leaned over to Elena. She groaned in her sleep, and just barely opened her eyes.

"Damon," she whispered softly, her voice raspy.

"Hey," he said in a melancholy tone. He cleared his throat, not wanting her to know how sad he truly was. "Elena, I'm so sorry for this. For everything that you're going through"

She smiled sadly. "It's not your fault, Damon." He smiled sadly, knowing that that would not be the case tomorrow when she realized he had left her. He ran his thumb lightly under her eyes, wiping away dry tears.

"Goodnight, Elena." He paused, realizing this was the last time he would ever speak to her. "I love you," he said, his voice broken. Elena looked at him, and tears welled up in her doe eyes.

"I love you too, Damon," she responded, her voice weak. He leaned in, and kissed her forehead. He squeezed his eyes shut, as if it would make the feeling of her against him last forever. He couldn't do this. He couldn't let go of her. But he had to. He leaned back, and gave her a weak smile.

"Go to bed now, okay?" She nodded, and curled up into a ball, falling back to sleep, a slight smile on her lips now. His own lips trembled with sadness. He took out his wallet, and took out a picture of himself and her on her birthday. He ripped it into two, spitting it so he was on one side and Elena on the other. He placed the note and the picture of him on the desk. He turned and looked at her one last time, before walking out into the cold night air, holding the picture of her tightly against his chest.

**Whew! I'm sorry this chapter was a little bit sad, but there needed to be a goodbye chapter somewhere! No worries though, it's probably not a permanent goodbye! I hope you liked this chapter! It was a little weird writing it now that I've seen what REALLY happened on TVD last night, but I tried my best to keep the show and the story separated! Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews…Please please continue! Thanks! **

**! Delena Forever!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Helloooo everyone! Once again, thank you SO much for the lovely reviews! They make me truly happy, and inspire different ideas for each chapter! **

**Still no Canadian promo for 3x19, but have you guys seen the extended preview? First of all, Rose is team Delena! Yippee! And secondly, DID YOU SEE DAMON AND ELENA HOLDING HANDS! Ahhhh! I can't wait 3 weeks! **

**Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!**

"Go to bed now, okay?" She nodded, and curled up into a ball, falling back to sleep, a slight smile on her lips now. His own lips trembled with sadness. He took out his wallet, and took out a picture of himself and her on her birthday. He ripped it into two, spitting it so he was on one side and Elena on the other. He placed the note and the picture of him on the desk. He turned and looked at her one last time, before walking out into the cold night air, holding the picture of her tightly against his chest.

Damon pulled up to the mansion. He closed his eyes for a second, thinking. He didn't want to die. Well, technically he was already dead, but he didn't want to completely seize to exist. He clenched his jaw, opened his eyes, and tucked the picture of Elena in his pocket. He opened the car door, and walked slowly to the mansion. When getting to the door, he didn't knock, just strode right in and closed the door behind him.

Rebekah was upstairs, reading on a bed, while Alaric was tied up, unconscious. Rebekah turned her head to the side, surprised to hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Slowly, she saw Damon appear, and she stood up in surprise.

"Damon Salvatore. I'm surprised Elena let you go that easily. Obviously she doesn't care about you as much as you thought." She said, her voice smothered with obvious arrogance.

"She didn't let me go. I left without her knowing. Now, can we please hurry up and make this exchange?" Damon asked, his voice impatient.

"Oh, is that so? Come with me, and we can discuss this more privately." She strode out of the room into the hallway. "This is what who are going to do. I am going to stake you, and you are going to fake your own death, in front of Alaric, okay?"

Damon looked at her in horror. "Why on _earth _would I do that?" She walked over to him, their faces just a foot apart.

"Because, Damon, if I let Alaric go, and he thinks you're alive, then he, Elena, and your other friends will to try to save you. However, if Alaric comes home, thinking you are dead, Elena will do nothing other than mope around and cry. That's what you should want for her, Damon. After everything she has done to you, don't you want to get her back? Make her feel the pain she has inflicted on you?"

Damon's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Are you saying that you want me to fake my own death, just to cause Elena pain? Why do you even care about what Elena feels?"

"She doesn't deserve you, Damon. She didn't choose you first. She chose Stefan. Are you willing to once again be the second choice?" Rebekah took a deep breath, surprised at herself for getting as worked up as she was.

Damon scrutinized her face. All of a sudden, the confusion on his own face wiped away. "You're jealous of Elena, aren't you?"

Rebekah's eyes blazed with fury, and her body was trembling with anger. "No, I'm not jealous of that weak human. Now how about you shut up and do as I say, okay?" Damon stared at her for a moment, before becoming just as angry as she was.

"You are the reason for this. I had to leave Elena because of _you_. Do you know how many people she's lost in her life? So _no,_ I will _not_ pretend to be dead for you." They glared at each other before Rebekah responded.

"I'm done with playing your games. Either you fake your death and make Alaric _believe _it, or I kill Elena. Simple as that, your choice." Damon didn't reply, and she stepped back, obviously pleased with herself. Damon stared at her for a moment, his rage easy to read on his face.

Damon realized that he had to do it. He wouldn't put Elena in danger. He had to do it. He quickly nodded, hating the fact that she had won. Rebekah leaned over to him.

"Don't screw this up, or she dies, okay? Make it believable." She walked over to Alaric, slapped his face, and he woke up immediately. Alaric looked over, and the second he saw Damon, he groaned.

"No! Damon, what were you thinking? Don't make this sacrifice, please. I'm not worth it. I'm useless!" Damon walked over to him, and leveled his face so his eyes were even with Alaric's.

"Listen to me. This is not your fault. You are not useless at all. You are all Elena has, and she needs you. Stay with her, care for her, and don't let anything happen to her. I'm counting on you." Damon took a deep breath, before looking back up at Alaric. "Thank you for being one of my only friends. I'll miss you." And with that, Damon walked away, to disgusted of what was about to happen to look at Ric.

"So you've made your decision, I presume?" Rebekah asked. Damon just nodded his head.

"Don't do this Damon," Alaric pleaded.

Damon turned his head towards Alaric. "Tell Elena I love her, and I'm so sorry for doing this," Damon said, and turned towards Rebekah. "Where are we going to do this?" Rebekah looked at him, tilting her head to the right slightly, before motioning to the far end of the hallway, so that Alaric could just barely see them. Rebekah picked up the stake she had been preparing to use on him. She turned herself so Alaric could only see Damon's face, and raised the stake high above her head, probably for dramatic effect. Then without a second thought, she plunged the stake into Damon, just barely missing his heart, but close enough to fool Alaric. Damon fell to the ground, his face smacking against the ground.

"NO!" Alaric yelled, struggling with the ropes that held him to the wall. "DAMON!" Damon continued to lay there, motionless.

Elena woke up in the dark, confused of where she was. It was still dark outside, so she could barely make out the things around her. Then it hit her; she was in Damon's room, but Damon wasn't. She started to panic, and she ran to the light switch and turned it on. She started to panic when Damon wasn't anywhere in the room. "Damon?" she yelled. Nothing. She was about to head downstairs when a piece of paper on Damon's desk caught her eye. Her heart just about stopped when she saw a picture that was ripped in half next to the letter. She picked it up and started reading. Her eyes became wider and wider as she read the note, tears welling up in her eyes. _"No no no no no!" _she thought to herself as she read his final goodbye. _I love you Elena. Never forget that. _

Elena grabbed her jacket and keys and ran out into the cold air. She got into her car and drove to the mansion as fast as she could. She slammed her fists into the steering wheel, her tears blinding her. "_No," _she thought to herself. "_He is _not _dead. He wouldn't do that to me."_ She took a deep breath, and concentrated on the road. After the longest ten minutes of her life, she pulled into the mansion driveway.

Rebekah walked to Alaric and untied him. She grabbed him, and pushed him to the door. Alaric turned to her, and pointed his finger at her. "You. You killed Damon. You _will_ pay for this." Rebekah rolled her eyes, and was about to say some kind of snarky retort, when she heard a noise. Rebekah and Alaric looked away from each other to gaze at the car that was pulling up.

Elena ran out of her car and sprinted towards Alaric. She looked at Rebekah, her eyes boiling with anger. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!"Elena screamed. "Where is he?" Rebekah said nothing, and Elena turned her head towards Alaric.

"Elena we have to go," said Alaric, his voice so low she could barely hear him. He took her hand and pulled her towards the car.

"What? NO! What happened, Ric? Where's Damon?" Alaric just shook his head and pulled harder on Elena. "DAMON!" Elena shrieked, her voice breaking. She turned to Rebekah. "Where is he?" Rebekah once again said nothing. "Did you hurt him?"

"Why don't you ask Alaric? He saw just as much as I did," Rebekah said. Elena turned to Alaric, her eyes fearful.

"He… he's dead Elena. He's gone," Alaric whispered, tears in his eyes. Elena shook her head profusely, and she could feel her body go numb. She dropped to her knees, sobbing into the ground.

Damon was watching Elena from the window, tears in his eyes. He couldn't stand seeing her in this much pain…especially if he was the person causing it.

"Damon!" he heard her beg, her small fists pounding at the ground. "NO! He can't be dead! He wouldn't do that to me!" Alaric wrapped his arms around Elena, pulling her up away from the ground. He tugged her towards the car, despite her protesting. She tried getting out of Alaric's grip, kicking, screaming.

Damon squeezed his eyes together, trying to fight the urge of going to Elena right then and there and saying goodbye just one more time. He watched as she sobbed hysterically, and he could feel his heart being torn into pieces. After many minutes of Alaric guiding her towards the car, she fell over, falling into a heap against Alaric's feet. Elena wasn't screaming anymore, but sobbing soundless, pitiful cries. Alaric picked her up, and she clutched his shirt, crying into his chest. He placed her carefully onto the passenger seat. Damon could see her gripping the picture of him in her hand, curling up against the window, and just letting go.

He turned away from the window, falling to his knees. He dropped his head into his arms, and wished it all away. The pain, the regret, the love, everything. Elena was all he had, and he had managed to lose her. He had lost her. He started to cry then, fat tears running down his cheeks onto the floor. He stayed like that for hours, wishing nothing more than for Elena and him being together again. That was all he wanted. He could hear Rebekah coming up the stairs, and he buried his face even deeper into his arms, ashamed of his weakness. He prepared himself for Rebekah's gloating, but she surprised him by saying nothing. He lifted his face up in surprise, and her face looked surprisingly melancholy.

"Damon, when you accused me of being jealous of Elena, I refused it. However, that was a lie. I was jealous of the fact that she had someone who loved her as much as you do. I have always wanted for someone to love me like that. When I saw you both today, crying, so devastated, I realized that it isn't right for me to take away other's love, just because I don't have someone to love me. So…" she took a shaky breath before looking into Damon's eyes. "I'm letting you go."

Damon's eyes widened. "WH-what? I can go?" he asked, his voice rising with disbelief. Rebekah nodded her head and smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry for the pain I have inflicted, Damon. Go back to Elena." With that, she turned and left the room. Damon stood up and stared at the ground in shock before jumping out the window, and running to Elena.

**There you have it! Next chapter will probably be the last chapter, and it will of course have a happy Delena ending! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please please please continue reviewing! They make my day! ~Delena Forever~ **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! Thank you so much to those of you who have read this FanFiction, and for those of you who review! It means so much to me! I am sorta sad this is the end of this story, but as soon as I come up with a new idea, I will start writing again! I hope you enjoy this last chapter! Please please review! **

_"I'm sorry for the pain I have inflicted, Damon. Go back to Elena." With that, she turned and left the room. Damon stood up and stared at the ground in shock before jumping out the window, and running to Elena._

Elena had told Alaric to take her to the boarding house instead of her own house. She now lay alone in the big house, curled up on Damon's bed, sobbing. Her head was buried in his pillow, the smell of him filling up her nose. She read his note over and over again, until she couldn't take it anymore. She hurt everywhere. She wanted nothing more than Damon. Why did he leave her? He knew how much she loved him, didn't she?

She became angry then, and she got up and threw everything she could get a hold of. She turned over his bookshelf, knocking off all of the books in the process. She paused when she picked up a picture frame containing a picture of her and Damon, hand in hand, just friends. She was smiling, her eyes facing the camera, while he was smiling and looking at her. He wasn't just looking at her, however, but his eyes were gazing upon her with pure compassion. He looked as if he truly and utterly adored her. Elena started to cry then, a gut wrenching cry, full of pain. It hit her then: She _couldn't _live without him. She wouldn't.

She ran to his bathroom and opened the cabinet, her hands shaking. She knocked everything over in the process of trying to grab a bottle of pills. She fumbled with the cap, desperately trying to open it. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed to be with him. She finally got the cap open and squeezed her eyes shut, yearning for her pain to disappear. She poured the entire bottle into her hand. She knew she would soon be with Damon, happy and painless.

"Elena!" Damon yelled, his voice frantic when seeing what she was about to do. Elena's eyes shot towards him, staring in disbelief. The pills dropped from her hand, and she got up slowly, her eyes skeptic.

"Are you real? Is that really you?" Elena asked, her voice shaking. Damon nodded, tears falling down his cheeks.

"It's really me, sweetheart. I'm here." Elena's breath quickened in complete disbelief. She jumped into him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She sobbed so hard, her lips kissing him everywhere they could reach- his neck, his chest, his face. He kissed her back, feeling happier than he had ever felt in his entire existence. They fell to the ground, not caring that they were in the bathroom. They hugged each other, so tight Elena could barely breathe. He cried into her neck, so happy to finally have her in his arms again, right where she belonged.

After what seemed like hours of kissing, hugging and crying, Elena pulled her head back just inches from his face. She stroked the sides of his face, while he ran his hands through her hair.

"I love you so much, Elena," Damon said, his voice cracking with joy. He leaned over, kissing her forehead, realizing they were safe. They could always stay in each other's arms. He pulled back to see her smiling the widest, most beautiful smile he had ever seen, tears pouring down her face.

"I love you, Damon," Elena replied, throwing her hands around him. "How are you here? Alaric said you were… He said you had…," she stopped, not able to say the word.

"Rebekah said she would kill you if I didn't fake my death in front of Ric. I wasn't willing to put you in danger. Rebekah was jealous of you, Elena. She did all of this because she didn't have love, and was jealous of ours. She let me go." Elena pulled back from his embrace, anger coming filling her eyes.

"_Why _would you leave me, Damon? I _need _you, and all you do is leave me a _note?_ What's _wrong _with you?"

She pulled away from him, burying her head into her hands. She felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her into his lap.

Damon kissed her cheeks, and Elena looked up, surprised at the feeling of something wet falling onto her forehead. "I'm _so_ sorry, Elena. You don't know how sorry I am. I couldn't let you lose Alaric, not after everyone else you've lost."

"But losing you wouldn't hurt me? Damon, I _need _you in my life, and to think you just gave up and didn't even say goodbye! How dare you?"

Damon's eyes became angry as well, and he pointed his index finger at her. "What about you, Elena? If I had walked in here just seconds later, you would be _dead_ right now. You were going to kill yourself? Jeremy has gone through just as much death as you, if not_ more, _and he _needs _you, Elena. But you couldn't stand it! You were going to give up your life, just for _me_? How dare _you!" _And with that, he stormed out of the bathroom, walking to his room, running his hands through his hair in anger. He slammed his door shut behind him, and flopped onto his bed, angry tear forming in his eyes.

Elena cried in the bathroom, so infuriated at Damon for leaving her. Suddenly something hit her. It didn't really matter what he had done, or the fact that he had almost died, but the fact that he was here, alive, in the same house as her, and they weren't together. She got up and opened the door slowly, walking towards his room.

Damon paused for a second, realizing how stupid he was being. A few hours ago, he would have done _anything_ to be able to see her just one last time, and now he was avoiding her, just because of a fight? He got up abruptly, and walked to his door, hesitantly opening his door. He found Elena walking to his room, tear stains on her cheeks, her face scrunched up in pain. Her lower lip was jutting out slightly, her arms extended out, reaching for him. He pulled her into his chest, tucking her head under his chin. He kissed her hair, inhaling her sweet smell.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I will never leave you again. Okay?" She nodded her head weakly into his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Damon. The only reason I almost killed myself was because I couldn't deal with the fact of loosing you. I'm so sorry," she cried.

They held each other there for a while, listening to their breaths, feeling each other's chest rising and falling. Elena leaned into Damon, her legs exhausted. He picked her up as if she was a child, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She rested her head against his shoulder, truly happy. Damon opened his door, realizing for the first time what a wreck his room was.

"Elena, if you had an issue with my bookcase, you could have just told me instead of destroying it," he chuckled. Elena pulled back, looking into his eyes, her eyes wide with guilt.

"I'm sorry! I was just…sort of angry and-"

Damon shushed her by placing his finger against her lips. "I'm just kidding, Elena. Maybe tomorrow we could go shopping for a new one."

"Or the next day, or the next…"Elena smiled at Damon and he hugged her to his chest.

"That's right. Because we have all the time in the world to be together." He plopped Elena onto his bed. Elena kicked off her shoes, and Damon did the same, reaching for the light switch and turning it off. He slowly got into his bed, rolling over to lie on top of Elena, but supporting all of weight with his arms. She threw her arms around him, and they curled up together, shivering from the cold air. Damon took off his shirt so that his warm skin pressed up against Elena's. She grabbed his hand and pulled onto her chest, and he sighed at the feeling of her heartbeat under his fingers.

Elena was about to fall asleep when she looked up into Damon's eyes. "Never leave me again, okay?" she asked.

"Never, Elena," he sighed into her hair. "I will always be here." Elena turned so she was facing Damon, her face pressed up against his chest, comforted by the warmth.

"I love you, Damon," Elena whispered, kissing his chest.

"I love you. I will always love you, forever," he replied, his voice truly and simply happy.

They fell asleep then, listening to each other breathing, surrounded by the feeling of love.

**That's it! Was it too mushy? I truly hope you enjoyed this chapter, and this entire story! Please check in on my page every once in a while to see if I have a new story written! Once again, please review this chapter! Thank you to those you who have supported me throughout this story!**

**~~Delena Lover~~ **


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